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Customer service in the age of the Internet

If you are a user of products or services, there is no way that you do not know what customer service is. After all, you have not been living under a rock. Just to remind you, though, customer service refers to the help and advice offered by the people from whom you acquire those products and services. In simpler terms, customer service means being able to reach a company. If you were thinking about picking up the phone and dialling the telephone number for Sky, you are living in the past and not in the future. This article discusses just how much customer service has changed since the advent of the Internet.

Intelligent customer service agents

Contrary to popular opinion, companies, whether big or small, do not hire people who have just graduated from university and desperately need a job. They only employ people with a vast experience in customer care, and who are willing to perfect their abilities. Candidates for a customer service job go through comprehensive training sessions, and their knowledge base as well as their devotion is constantly challenged. The result? Customers have well-prepared customer service agents at their disposal. A more accurate characterisation would be that of intelligent customer support teams. Unlike those employees who used to read from scripts, today’s company representatives are capable of handling difficult questions. The reason why they are so great at what they do is that they have expert knowledge and research skills. It cannot be said that the change is not a positive one.

The use of customer relationship management tools

Sky is just one of the many telecommunications companies that have brought customer service to the digital era. Nowadays, helpline desks utilise intelligent technologies, like CRM. Let us talk a little bit more about CRM. CRM stands for customer relationship management. It is basically a software tool that an organization uses in order to improve the way they interact with existing customers. And prospective ones. But what has CRM to do with customer service? Well, the system provides agents the tools they need to handle outbound and inbound calls, access customer history (pre-collected data at their fingertips), and, most importantly, make their experience a better one. It is no wonder that companies using CRM are so successful.

Communication across various platforms

One thing that people will appreciate is the fact that they can communicate with call centre agents through various platforms, by way of telephone, email, web, or social media platforms.. Those who prefer chatting can hit the Web, while those who prefer traditional phone calls can dial the number. Instead of searching the Internet for contact details, customers should use a customer service contact telephone directory. What happens is that they are forwarded to the company in question, thus being able to bypass numerous Web pages. Business organizations choose to list their telephone number in an online directory, knowing perfectly well that they are a little easier to find this way. And who can argue with them?